When 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the mid­dle of the night, he knows it is hap­pen­ing again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He's afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.

Char­lie doesn't know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.

He belongs with the others.[from goodreads]

My Thoughts
When I first got Talisman of El I was intrigued, the synopsis being vague got my attention immediately and I needed to know what was going on.
When I started Talisman of El I was introduced to Charlie, a foster child who had been taken in by Jacob. Starting a new school is hard for everyone, but Charlie makes enemies immediately, but also a good friend in Alex. However Jacob is not what he seems to be and enlists Charlie's help in some illegal activities. These activities pave way for the introduction of Richmond and Derkein. Together, Charlie, Alex, Richmond and Derkein must find Arcadia. Their journey is not easy and Charlie discovers more about himself than he ever knew before.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Talisman of El and I loved the twist in the story too. The characters were easy to relate too and although the original way into Arcadia wasn't planned I really liked how they got on with it and dealt with whatever came their way. I did feel sorry for Charlie with his time spent with Jacob when it was bad, but I really liked how his friends stuck by him and helped him through. That I what true friends do and I admire them for doing it.

The world of Acadia is described with so much detail it made me want it to be a real place, and not some fictional world in the pages of a book. The different areas the group travelled through all had their own amazing things about them, but also creatures out to get them and I enjoyed taking the journey with them to the end. The friendships are tested a lot in Talisman of El and I was happy to see things get back to normal no matter what happened between the group.

Charlie was an amazing character. To go from being a foster child to fining out the truth would have been a shock to anyone's system but he dealt with it brilliantly and when the going got tough he stood up and fought for what he believed in.
I really enjoyed Talisman of El and look forward to what else Alecia Stone has to offer in the future.

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